Dead and Loving It
by Xrissoula
Summary: Through the bond I felt a calm sweep over me and soon my eyes were dry. I embraced him then, and he gathered me in, very gently. I closed my eyes for a time and said nothing. I thought about the bond and the significance he held for it..."
1. Chapter 1

**I will only say this once: I do not own any part of the Southern Vampire Mystery series. It belongs to the one and only lovely Ms. Charlaine Harris! I'm just an adoring fan(:  
**

**Without further ado, I give you the first chapter of **_**Dead and Loving It**_**. **

It was awful. I slept without stop, and Amelia had to wake me just to make sure I was still alive. Eric sent flowers everyday and in the sparse moments when I was awake I was comforted by the sweet aromas.

I couldn't keep relying on Amelia. She was trying to recover, too. Tray's death had shaken her. But she was trying. I know from her thoughts (she's a clear broadcaster) that she didn't blame me, but I felt guilty nonetheless.

Today, or tonight I should say I was quite awake. I thought about Niall and Claudine; he said she was in the Summerland.

It was _awful_. I got choked up when I thought of how Claude had gone from a triplet to a twin to something akin to an orphan. I wondered if he was going to stay. I doubted it but hoped otherwise.

I needed to contact him. And luckily, my cell phone was on my nightstand and even better, _he_ was on speed dial, so in my pain-killer induced foggy brain I was gracious for the lack of thought it took to put the call through.

He picked up after the first ring. "Lover." He cooed.

"Eric, I need a favor." My dry mouth slowed every syllable.

"Anything," Like I'd any doubt.

"I need you to track down the telephone number of Claude's strip club. I have to speak with him."

"I have it right here. Wait." But I didn't have to. Right now, more than ever, I envied vampiric speed.

He gave me the number without question. "Sookie," His voice was stern.

"Yes?" I croaked.

"I will visit you."

"…Ok." Then he hung up. I knew better than to argue with him. He always gets his way, or at least he always bends the will of others.

In the meantime, I called the club and asked for Claude. When they said he wasn't in, I left a message. I told him that it was urgent that I speak with him. I didn't leave a name; he'd know it was me.

It felt like it took ages for Eric to arrive, but when he did, it was really only a few minutes. I didn't listen for the rumble of his Corvette but considering his speed I guessed he flew.

"My sweet." His voice was still stern as he sat down on the bed, careful not to move me. He bent over and placed a kiss on my forehead; he was checking my temperature.

Satisfied that I was only suffering from pain, he checked each and every one of my wounds. He licked each and I watched (it never ceases to amaze me) as they all shrunk considerably. The sharp pains left and all I had now was a sore feeling in the stitched wounds and stiffness in my limbs.

I tried to stand but when I did I became dizzy, and I lost my vision as a strange warm feeling rushed through my knees. I collapsed into Eric's quick arms and waited for my vision to return.

Eric watched me with soft eyes. "You're borderline anemic. Partake." He slashed his wrist and when I balked his eyes narrowed, giving me the You-Know-Better look. He lifted it to my mouth and I swallowed what I could with what strength I had. I was almost instantly no longer sore.

When I pulled away he licked his wrist and the cut disappeared leaving no scar.

"Thank you," I mumbled. He looked at me with guilty eyes and sighed. (Never let it be said that he didn't have a flair for the dramatic.)

"I feel it is my fault you were taken." He raised his hand when I opened my mouth. "Let me speak." I got shot the Y-K-B look _again_. "I should have known what danger you were in. As my Bonded, you are my _responsibility_. I promise, _Sookie_, that I will never let harm come to you again." By now my eyes were watery and I hastily wiped away the tears. I'm such a mess.

Through the bond I felt a calm sweep over me and soon my eyes were dry. I embraced him then, and he gathered me in, very gently. I closed my eyes for a time and said nothing. I thought about the bond and the significance he held for it; I wondered what that significance meant. But I'd cross that bridge when I came to it.

"I've got to shower." Eric released me at once and stretched out on my bed. I grabbed fresh pajamas and headed for the bathroom door. I locked it behind me.

***

As I came out he was lying in the same position, staring at my ceiling, retreated into himself in that way only vampires can. I kissed his cheek and the conscious light returned to his eyes. The corners of his mouth lifted and as he was about to speak my phone rang. Claude's ringer ID was Sexyback. Eric snorted.

"Sookie," said Claude. What was with Supes and greetings? Did they just not mix? Ugh.

"How are you?" I heard him sigh.

"I'm fine." Same blunt Claude; but who was I to judge the depth of his grief?

"What are you going to do?" There was no point in beating around the bush. Claude was nothing if not straightforward.

"…It's good that you called. I've chosen to follow Grandfather. I can't stay here. There's too much Iron, and our population is dwindling. I need a favor from the Viking." I handed the phone to Eric.

"Northman," he said. His face remained stony. After a minute of Whys and Oh's he handed the phone back to me.

"What was that about?" I asked Claude.

"I'm handing the club over to Eric. Well, you and Eric. I will meet you here at eight o'clock tomorrow to discuss the details."

"Whoa," Understanding that this was the end of the conversation, I added, "I love you, Claude." After a minute he said,

"Love you too." Then he hung up. I looked at Eric and shrugged. He didn't seem to mind. What was one more asset to him, anyway?

Then he gave me one of his trademark shit-eating-grins. Confused, I waited for an explanation. Then I heard it. Oh.

Amelia's car was pulling out of the driveway. We were alone. Oh. Oh, oh, oh.

I quirked an eyebrow and giggled… Before I knew it Eric was on top of me on my bed and landing butterfly kisses all over my face and neck. It tickled so much I laughed outright.

As he kissed my lips the laughter died in my throat. I wrapped my arms and legs around him and felt how eager he was.

Then, for the first time in three weeks, Eric made me feel beautiful again.

**Please, tell me what you think! I would like you to tell me where I've made any misspellings or grammar errors. And… does anyone remember what the name of Claude's club was? I totally forgot. The second chapter is already in the works, so I anticipate your feedback.**

**Thanks!**

**ChristiAnthemum**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for the lovely reviews! And thanks so much for all of the favorites and alerts and subscriptions! I feel so loved! :D **

**On another note…**

**Is anybody else as excited as I am for the scheduled May release of **_**Dead in the Family**_**? Only about a month and a half left! Ai!**

**Chapter 2**

The next night I decided to dress as conservatively as possible. But that didn't mean I wasn't going to look good. After a refreshing shower and one hour of throwing on different outfits, I settled for a dark reddish copper silk blouse and dark wash jeans. I styled my hair in a Studio 54 sweep and popped on Gran's "Audrey Hepburn" dangling diamond earrings. My blond hair really set off my smoky eyed make-up and deep red lips. To add some flair, I wore red high-heeled fuck-me-shoes. I laughed to myself and considered what Lafayette might have said: "Girl, you look _fierce_. You're _fierce._" And yet the only skin I was showing consisted of my neck and hands. Eric really only needed to see my neck anyway, I thought.

I finished off the look with a black crystal encrusted clutch, which held my I.D., my lipstick and cash. I only kept a $20 with me just in case but I figured no matter how hard I argued Eric would insist to pay for everything. What girl could complain? He was going to take me to dinner before we met with Claude, so I was hungry. Speaking of hungry, something was missing…. Hm… Oh yes! I forgot perfume! I grabbed my bottle of _Obsession_ and dabbed liberally all over my wrists and neck.

I looked up at my mirror to survey myself and jumped ten feet in the air.

"Eric! What the _HELL_? Don't do that to me!" I slapped his rock-hard chest and he chuckled. Whatever.

"Lover, your scent is _mouthwatering._" he held me to him as he buried his face in my neck. Goosebumps formed as he licked my neck and blew on it. Then I felt his fangs scrape my neck. I became warm butter in his arms. He kissed up my neck to my mouth where he gave me a searing kiss.

After making out like hormonal teenagers, I pulled away. "We have to get going." I said, still looking at his lips. They were red and smudged with my lipstick. That was kind of hot. Ok, that was hot.

"We have time."

"Ok." And then he pulled me down to my bed.

***

I reapplied my lipstick as Eric pulled his pants on. I checked the clock, and it read 7:30. One hour later. There go our dinner plans; we now only had a half hour to get to Hooligan's.

"Eric, I'm going to call Claude and let him know that we're running late." I was flipping through my phonebook when Eric took my phone.

"Lover, you underestimate me."

"I am not getting into your car if you speed all the way there."

"_Lover_," he sighed, "You underestimate me. I didn't drive here."

"Jesus Christ, Shepherd of Judea! You don't mean to piggy-back fly to Shreveport!"

He just smiled.

"Eric, you know I almost never miss an opportunity to wrap my legs around you," He gave me a toothy grin. "But this is insane."

"I won't let harm come to you. I promise. Once you get over the fear, it's invigorating." I squinted my eyes at him.

"You won't try to scare me?" I crossed my arms.

"If you insist," I gave him one more look and shook my head in defeat.

***

We took off at a running start, and sooner than I knew it we were sailing above the trees. Holy Crap. But Eric didn't disappoint, he was right. I loved flying with him. Except, next time, I wasn't going to spend so much time on my hair. This was a pony-tail kind of activity.

Eric flew close enough to the trees to avoid detection, and watching the nocturnal animals come out was something to behold. Then I caught sight of a panther running around the trees with great agility. This one was a full were-panther, not Bitten, so whoever it was it wasn't Jason. When I thought he/she/it was following us, I tried to glimpse through its thoughts, and because of my recent intake of Vampire blood, I was better able to make distinctions.

"Hey, Calvin," I waved like a fool. The panther stopped dead in its tracks. So I was wrong about him tracking us, but it _was_ Calvin! Calvin raised his paw in the most human-like thing I've ever seen a were-animal do. "…Nice to see ya!" I said as Eric sped up. What a small, strange world.

Soon I saw the lights of Shreveport and in quick succession Eric landed on a rooftop, and then jumped from one to the next before jumping down to a deserted back alley. When I was oriented, I noticed a bright green sign that read "Hooligan's" over a nondescript door with no handle. Without hesitation Eric strode up to it and knocked twice.

A beautiful, pink-sequined-g-string clad male opened it. He was bleach blond with Rico Suave hair (made complete with a neon-pink bandana) and a well-built body. One of Claude's employees?

Then he gave us a bright smile with bright white teeth. Well, with knives. Oh. He was a fairy.

"Why, hello you two! I'm Tristan. Claude, that devil," he swiped his hand in a delicate flick of the wrist. "Has told me so _much_ about y'all!" Ok, he was a_ fabulous! _fairy. So cute! And I recognized his voice.

"All good I hope!" I offered. He had a hardy laugh for someone who seemed so delicate. Then he took me from Eric, to whom I shot a desperate look, and placed me on his arm as he led us through the back. "Did I speak with you on the phone yesterday? I left an urgent message for Claude?"

"Ohmigod, we did! So you were the mysterious caller!" he giggled. Well, aren't we loquacious? (A recent Word-of-the-Day.)

"Sweetheart," he whispered as he patted my hand. We went through a door that read: EMPLOYEES ONLY. "You have _got_ to tell me what _that one_," he wagged one expertly plucked eyebrow in Eric's direction, "Is like in bed!" he said with a giggle.

"There are no words." I said in my most seductive voice. He laughed outright. When I looked from his face to my new surroundings, I saw all of the mirrors and bright lights and clothing (or strips of cloth, depending on your persuasion) on mobile racks and the makeup scattered about on the counters. And then, of course, I noticed the _fabulous!-_ly good looking nearly-naked men.

"Hey guys!" Tristan announced. Suddenly we were the center of attention. "This is Sookie, Claude's cousin," he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, "and this is her Bonded, Eric. He's the Sheriff of Area Five and he owns Fangtasia and only, like, half of the other decent joints in Shreveport!" Half of the Decent Joints in Shreveport? Just how loaded _was_ Eric? And the Bonded part? If this was how I was introduced, I truly underestimated the significance.

"Hello Lady Northman! Hello Lord Northman!" The strippers said in unison. What's with the honorifics? Well, at least I looked the part.

Then he took us through an adjoining door and out into the main area. Here, there were flashing lights and three male strippers on the catwalk. The booming music in the background was a Lady Gaga song, and some of the tipsy women were singing along merrily. Instantly, I remembered to put up my shield. I did not want to hear what anyone was thinking here.

Tristan took us to a secluded booth on the far side. Whereupon I saw Claude talking with Bobby Burnham. Claude signed some document and they shook hands. So this was it. Bobby nodded when he saw Eric.

"Northman," said Claude. "Welcome to Hooligan's. Hello, Sookie." He walked over to give me a hug and we exchanged kisses.

"Hello, Claude." I mumbled. I settled into the C-shaped booth with Claude and Eric flanking both sides.

"Everything is set up. As of now, you are the co-owners of Hooligan's. " Claude gave me a weak smile. He looked so sad. I reached over the table and gave his white-knuckled hands a squeeze.

"When are you leaving? I fully intend to spend every last minute with you until you leave." Claude just laughed.

"Not if Northman has anything to say about that!" We laughed and Eric gave a nod of approval.

"How many of your employees are Supes?" Eric asked.

"Tristan is the only fairy. The rest are either human or Were. So about fifty percent." Claude hesitated, then said, "Sookie, Tristan is a distant cousin of ours. He's not as he seems." I didn't like the way that sounded, so I touched Claude's mind.

"He's not gay?"

"It's all part of the act. The friendlier he is, the better our female customers like him. And for our male customers, having him for my Host shows some goodwill. I have a community reputation to uphold."

"Clever." Eric commented.

"He's good. He had _me_ convinced!" We all laughed at that. The telepath was deceived! Then I froze. I realized suddenly that he hadn't even made a blip on my mental radar. "Claude, what is different about Tristan?"

His eyes widened, and then he shook his head. "You did catch on. Tristan is a very old fairy. He has some very interesting abilities. Sookie, as you grow older, depending on how much of Eric's blood you take, you're going to develop some of the abilities that are exclusive to our Royal Family Blood either before or by the time you reach thirty. Since Grandfather and I are leaving you're going to need a mentor. Tristan is trusted, and he opted to stay behind in this world. You'll be seeing a lot of each other."

I tried to digest all of this. On top of my telepathy, I was going to gain other abilities? For a while, I just sat and stared at the Hooligan's logo on the table. While in my stupor, Eric ordered me straight gin, and pushed it towards me. I mumbled a thank you and downed it in one gulp.

"Good God." I said, and neither man was sure of what I was referring to.

**This is so much fun!**

**Please review, and thanks for reading!**

**~ChristiAnthemum**

**(OHMIGOD I JUST SAW A POSSUM OUTSIDE MY WINDOW. Ewwwwwwww.)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. And don't forget to review (; **

The next morning I woke up to Sexyback. With my eyes still closed I reached over to my nightstand and grabbed my phone.

"Hello?" I said groggily, rubbing my eyes.

"Sookie, I'm outside. Get dressed and get out here."

"What? Why? Were you supposed to pick me up?"

"Don't keep me waiting." Then he hung up. I rushed to put on my jeans and grabbed an LSU sweatshirt. I slipped on my work shoes and washed my face as fast as I could.

I stepped out of my front door as I was putting my hair up and I stopped in my tracks. Claude was in the driver's seat of the coolest car I'd ever seen. He impatiently waved me in and I finished my ponytail as I opened the passenger door.

"Nice Benz," I said. "What model is it?"

"It's a 2010 Mercedes G Class SUV." We pulled out of my drive way and on to Hummingbird Road and were on our way to Shreveport before I asked,

"So what is this about?"

"I need to show you your new house."

"You're giving me your home?" Tentatively.

"I am giving you all of my earthly property. I can't take very many things with me. That includes this car."

In an even voice I said, "Claude, what the Hell?"

"What else am I going to do? Plus, I'm not doing you much of a favor anyway. You're still going to have to pay utility bills. And taxes."

"Just give me a minute to digest all of this."

"You'll be thanking me when you see all of your new property."

"We'll just see about that." After a minute Claude said,

"You should probably quit your waitressing job, too."

"Shut up!" Claude just smiled as he turned onto the Shreveport exit. I threw my hands up in exasperation.

***

We pulled into a garage complex in the ritziest part of downtown Shreveport.

"What floor do you live on?" I shut the car door.

"The penthouse, top floor."

"What number?" I asked cautiously. We entered the elevator and he punched in 50. "Why do I even ask?"

It took about 4 minutes to get to his flat. When the elevator doors opened, I was shocked by just how green _everything_ was. The front room was a sitting room, with colorful rugs and cherry stained hardwood. The furniture was archaic by design and had Celtic knots embedded everywhere in the thick, solid wood. There was something written on the mantle of the fireplace, in a language I would later learn was Old Irish.

All of the windows were stained glass depicting various Celtic gods, and in the kitchen, where all of the appliances were new, there was a window above the industrial sinks that resembled Niall. He was much younger than the Niall I knew and his hair was braided at random intervals framing his muscular face and neck. The sword he held above his head was curved, slightly, and he wore a gold circlet 'round his head. He looked like all of the descriptions of King Arthur I'd ever seen. I let that thought slide.

There were roses in vases on all of the tables or in pots where there was space for them. The seating was very comfortable and sucked you in at every corner. He showed me his bedroom, where there was a larger-than-king-size-bed (turns out it's a Tempur-Pedic, too) covered in pillows with Persian designs and the fluffiest ever comforter I'd seen, three inches thick and bronze colored.

Claude picked up a long remote from one of his two nightstands and pressed the topmost button. I turned my head when I heard a sound from behind me and saw pieces of wall being moved to expose a huge flat-screen TV.

"I have satellite TV with every channel I could buy. It has all been paid for."

"No complaints." I fanned out my hands in an "OK" gesture.

Claude showed me his master-bath, which included a glass-framed walk-in shower that had three jets and a one-way mirror that looked down on all of downtown Shreveport. It had a bench made of unfinished wood, and Claude showed me where the dry-steam controls were. So it was a walk-in shower as well as a steam room; Impressive.

Then there was the bathtub. Or should I say the _hot_ tub? It was big enough for six people, with steps that lead up and down to it, it had colorful lights, benches, lots of water jets and headrests.

Pointing to the tub I said, "You've had a few parties in there, haven't you?"

"Yes." He winked at me. I shuddered and made a mental note to have the bathroom cleaned by a professional company.

The counter was huge but had only one sink. I didn't mind. I planned on living alone for a while. But it had many, many cabinets and drawers (all thick, cherry stained wood) and shelves brimming with Burt's Bee's and Aveda products. I was happier than a pig in doodoo.

Then he took me out of the bathroom and back to his room, where he pointed to two doors.

"The first one is an office. The second is my closet. What do you want to see first?"

"Your closet, definitely." I let out a gasp when I saw the other side of the now opened door. It was our poster! God, did I look good. (Of course, Claude looked better, that Narcissist. Word of the Day!)

"Yeah, I like it too." He laughed at my expression. "Now let me show you the clothes I bought you as thanks." He walked into the closet and flipped a light switch.

"You bought me thank-you gifts? Claude, don't you think the new apartment and car and job are enough?" I followed him in, and boy, this closet was bigger than my kitchen! "Claude, you're giving me your life. How do you know I won't disappoint you?" He froze, then he turned to me and whispered,

"Did you ever disappoint Claudine?" Oh, Claude. I mumbled an apology and he continued into the vast cavern that was his, excuse me, my closet. He had organized everything according to time of day and event. "This is the dress section." This was at the very end of the closet, right next to a 360 mirror that I had no plans to go anywhere near anytime soon.

"I picked up the most sensual dresses I could find. Some might just cut off your circulation." I found some four-inch-fuck-me-shoes and pointed to them.

"These will get me killed."

"Or help you kill someone else."

"I'm going to need these. Are the heels silver?" We dissolved into giggles.

The rest of the clothes were either too suggestive or borderline recklessly slutty. But I loved all of them. Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Coach, Michael Kors… Who could resist? But they all looked classy, and _expensive_.

When I felt overwhelmed Claude led me out of the closet and into his office. There was an Apple desktop and laptop with a wireless printer all set upon a huge solid wood desk. There was a pushed in leather chair that had tax records stacked on it.

"Anything you'll need to run Hooligans from here is in this office. But now, let me show you my favorite part."

He led me through a set of French doors that I hadn't noticed until now. They opened up to his balcony. It was the best view in Shreveport, if you asked me. I could see so far I almost thought I could see Hummingbird Road from here! There was an outdoor fireplace and four chairs surrounding it with potted greens in every corner.

"Do you think you could learn to live here?"

"I think I could learn to love it here."

"Good. Now that I've made you familiar, it's time to call Jason."

"What for?"

"Grandfather and I are leaving."

"As in, now?"

"Right now."

"Hold on." What else did I expect? They popped into my life and they were popping out just as fast. I pulled out my phone and was about to hit send when Claude took my phone.

"We will be going to him." He flipped through my phone book until he found Niall's number and punched it in. "Grandfather. Yes. Yes. Right now." He handed me the phone after he disconnected.

"Where are we going?" Claude put his arm around me.

"To Jason's house." Then I heard a _crack!_ and a long _whoosh!_ as I felt the wind twirling around me. And then I was standing in Jason's living room.

**Chapter 4 is on its way!**

**~ChristiAnthemum**


	4. Chapter 4

**For **_**Dead in the Family **_**spoilers, visit this website: .com**

**Enjoy!**

"Jason?" I yelled. It was around noon now, and Jason was scheduled to be off for lunch. He didn't normally come home for lunch, but I assumed that Claude and Niall knew better.

"He is on his way." said Claude. I nodded. I started looking around at my childhood home, thinking of all of the LSU basketball games Dad watched while he sat in the same seat Claude was in right now, yelling at the same TV. Jason hadn't changed much of anything, just a few electronics here and there. He had even put in a surround-sound stereo system. But Crystal had made some alterations. She put red slips on the living room furniture and changed the white sheer curtains to blue. At least she didn't bring anything in with a pattern, poor thing had no taste.

I saw on the fireplace mantel a family picture with me, Jason, Mom, Dad and Gran. This picture was taken a month before they had died. Dad was even wearing the same plaid shirt he drowned in.

I didn't want to wait in the living room, so I wandered into the kitchen. I sat down at the chair where Dad had me listen to that con artist's mind. I sunk low in the chair and buried my head on folded arms. There were so many memories in this town, and I was about to make another heart-wrenching one. I felt overwhelmed. Slowly, I felt a hand press down on my shoulder and give it a gently squeeze. I recognized the magical signature of his presence, and I stood up.

"Niall," I said as he embraced me. I buried my face in his neck and sobbed. For some reason, when I was around my fairy relatives I was more emotional than usual. He rubbed a free hand soothingly up and down my back until my sobs faded to stressed breaths.

I pulled away and swatted the few remaining tears away. "Thanks." I mumbled. I heard a door slam, and then Jason said,

"Who the HELL are YOU and WHAT are YOU doing on MY COUCH?!" I looked at Niall and said,

"Looks like Jason is home." He gave me a fragile smile and walked out to the living room.

"You," Jason snarled at Niall.

"Be calm, young panther." Niall put his hand on Jason's shoulder, as he had mine, and I watched as his muscles relaxed. "We are here to say our final goodbyes."

"Good." said a subdued Jason. I gave him a look, and then Claude stood by my side.

"Please, both of you have a seat." Jason automatically sat in his La-z-boy recliner and I sat on the couch diagonal from him. Claude and Niall looked very official as they stood in front of the fireplace. Claude had his hands together behind his back.

"There really isn't much I have to say to you, Jason. As I was absent for the majority of your life, I was never of any use to you, and for that I apologize. Since Claude and I will be leaving this world, we have decided to give you," he made a wide sweeping gesture indicating the both of us, "What earthly possessions we have. I have sold my possessions and Claude has given his to Sookie. For my part, I am leaving you both an inheritance. The account transactions have already been made and I have taken the liberty to pay any necessary taxes. Your inheritances are equal. I will leave you to check you accounts for the total."

"Thank you, sir." Even Jason could be practical about this. No one could honestly say that they didn't like gifts of money (I should know).

"Thank you." A new home, a new car and an inheritance; I was fixing to have a good life here on out.

"It's time for us to go." Claude said. I smiled at him, and gave him another hug. When he let me go, Niall was letting Jason go. Claude went over to Jason as Niall came to me.

"I am very proud of you." He embraced me, and kissed my cheek when he pulled away. I felt a shock of energy thrill through me, and I stumbled a bit. When I looked to Niall, he just smiled. Huh.

Claude nodded at Niall and they stood together.

"Bye." I said, one last time. I felt like there was something left I had to say, but when I tried to form the words nothing came to mind.

They smiled at me, and with a _whoosh! _and loud cracks and swirling wind all around, they were gone. I was bereft and I felt exhausted.

Jason let out a long breath.

"Well, I'm gonna head over to the bank. Do you want a lift?"

"Yeah, thanks."

We hopped into his ostentatious truck and sped off down the lane. Neither of us attempted to make small talk. I was still mad at my bastard brother.

As we walked in all of the tellers straightened up and plastered smiles on their faces. Uh-oh.

"Hello Ms. Stackhouse! Hello Mr. Stackhouse!" they chimed. I let my shield down a bit to see what was going on. _…boss said to be nice to the Stackhouses, I wonder why…come into a lot, a LOT of money, where from I don't know…never did like Jason, even if he is so danm good looking. God he has a nice ass… _I immediately drew up my shield. That was where I drew the line. Now I was anxious to see just how much money Niall had left us.

I walked up to the first cheery teller, some red-head I went to high school with. I glanced at her name tag.

"Hello, Sookie." Said Julie.

"Hey. I'm here to check my account balance."

"One moment." She bent over the computer and typed in a few things. Then her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. She smiled at me and tried to regain her composure. Julie grabbed a post-it-note and wrote down the amount, which she slipped to me quickly.

When I looked at the note I was speechless.

Fifty. Million. Dollars.

Fifty million American dollars.

"WHOOO HOO!" Jason screamed. "I am SO quittin' my job."

Oh, Sweet Baby Jesus.

"Jason, before you get ahead of yourself, I need a ride home."

"Yeah, Sook, sure," He had the most stupid grin on his face. He was going to celebrate tonight. I was going to worry.

***

When I stepped out of the shower I was not as calm as really hot showers usually got me, and the reason? My life had done a 180. Before I had met any Supes I was just Sookie Stackhouse, Louisiana born barmaid, just struggling to make my monthly payments. For all of the perks that came with my introduction to the Supe world, I had stood at Death's door more than once, all because of one vampire: Sophie Anne Leclerq, the late Queen of Louisiana. She put Bill Compton's nose to my trail, and like an idiot I welcomed him into my quiet life, unaware that his intentions had (at least originally so he says) an ulterior motive. But was it really Sophie's fault? Maybe it was Hadley's. But then again, I received my powers from the Fairy blood I had, so maybe it was Fintan's fault.

This was very un-Christian of me. I needed to stop blaming other people (if you can call them that) and take responsibility of my life, and with all of the money I had, I could quit my job and move on with my life. Thanks, Niall. Or I guess, thanks, Fintan.

I laid down in my bed, still in my towel, and stared at my ceiling. I needed to make a plan. But before I was going to do that, I needed to go see Sam.

I threw my wet hair in a pony-tail and neglected my make-up bag. With my recent intake of Eric's blood, I really didn't need it, my skin was completely clear and held a soft glow, barely perceptible. I found some clean black yoga pants and a blue tank-top and finished my I'm On the Run look with pink Crocs. I don't think the Fashion Police made any rounds in Bon Temps, so I figured I'd be safe. But Pam did live in Shreveport, so I had to be careful.

I stepped out of the house with my keys in hand, and noticed immediately that my new Benz was sitting in my drive way. That reminded me, I should probably sell my old car.

I walked over to the driver side and surely enough, the car was unlocked and the keys were sitting in the ignition. I got in and prayed that it was automatic, and to my delight, it was. I figured that I needed to practice driving this monster, so I turned the keys and listened to the engine roar. I could get used to this. I rearranged the rear-view mirror and backed out of my driveway.

The Benz, as I dubbed it, drove like a dream. When my old cars accelerated, they kind of dragged you along, but the Benz, it _pulled_ you. I know it isn't much of a distinction, but when you've driven a Mercedes, you'll see what I mean.

I made it to Merlotte's in less than ten minutes and I parked in the back lot in front of Sam's trailer. For what I thought would be the last time, I went in through the Employee entrance, where I saw Sam with his legs crossed on top of his desk reading the paper.

"Hello Sam," I said cheerily.

"Hey Sookie," He threw me his signature smile. "What can I do you for?"

"Um, well I need to talk to you. Are you busy?" He uncrossed his legs, brought them to the floor and laid the paper on his desk.

"For you, never, what do you want to talk about?"

"I want to give you notice."

"My best waitress is quitting?" He gave me a sweet smile as he crossed his arms.

I didn't know what to say. Sam was a big part of my life; I've worked for him going on five years. So I just shrugged sheepishly.

"I knew this day was approaching," he sighed. "But I didn't think it would come this soon."

"If you ever need a waitress, I'm here for you." That was the best I could do.

"So what do you plan to do?"

"For a job? My cousin Claude left me his strip-joint in Shreveport." Sam's eyes widened.

"A strip-joint? You won't be working there, will you?" I laughed out loud.

"You won't be so lucky! I _own_ Hooligan's. I am no stripper!" Gran would roll in her grave!

Sam had himself a good laugh at that image, one I chose to block.

"So are you going to move up there?"

"Yeah. Claude also left me his penthouse, _and his car_, so I'm all set."

"Both? Wow, _Cherie_, you've got a whole new life ahead of you."

"Yeah, I guess I do."

As I drove back, I used the XM radio and picked the all Country station. I sung along to Jason Aldean's "She's Country" all the way home. I guess I'm a Raging Cajun. I'm ok with that.

I got scared when my phone vibrated in my pocket, and I grabbed my butt to make it stop. Speaking of butts, Eric was calling. I looked at the dashboard clock, it read 6:30.

"'Sup." I answered. Eric snickered.

"Good evening, Lover. Would you like to come to Fangtasia tonight?"

"Sure, Eric. When do you want me?"

"I want you right now. But I'd like you to be here by eight o'clock." I chuckled.

"See you then."

"Not soon enough." He disconnected. I made a U-turn and headed for Shreveport. This was going to give me a good opportunity to check out my new wardrobe.

***

When I finished looking through the cavern that was my new closet, I had half an hour to get to Fangtasia; yes, the closet was that big. But the finished product was stunning (maybe I was going to like being a Narcissist). I wore a gold Michael Kors mini cocktail dress with tiger-eye detail at the neck, red Christian Louboutin peep-toe-sling-back-pumps and finished off the look with a gold Coach clutch, which only held the penthouse and Benz keys.

I used minimal make-up; just cherry lip gloss and mascara, and I left my hair down. It was dry now, and very wavy.

It took less than five minutes to reach Fangtasia from the penthouse. I parked in the back, but decided to enter through the front. Since I had been in Shreveport after Eric had awakened, I could feel him all the while I was dressing. I could sense that he knew I was here and I felt waves of joy and anticipation roll over me like waves.

When I reached the front door a male fangbanger opened it for me, giving me the I'm Available look all the way past.

"Thanks." I skirted past him, nearly running. I reached out with my mind the minute he locked eyes with me. He thought I was a vampire! Did my skin really glow like that?

Pam was in a full-length black chiffon dress with plunging cleavage and flowing sleeves. I really felt sorry for her. She had an eyeful of me. When she smiled, her fangs were fully extended.

"My, don't we look _edible_ tonight?" I laughed and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"I cater exclusively to Vikings; sorry, Pam." She waved me through the line without a cover charge.

I exited the alcove into the main floor. KDED was on and George Benson's Give Me the Night was blaring, giving Fangtasia a jazzy atmosphere. I even bobbed my head to the beat. While I was looking for my Viking, I scanned the crowd, noticing how every vampire that I locked eyes with had his or her fangs exposed. This was unusual; if the fangbanger in the entrance thought I was a vamp, why did every vampire seem to alert on my scent?

Suddenly I sensed apprehension mixed with intense longing, and I followed the feeling to Eric's usual table, where he was waiting for me. He stood up to receive me.

"Lover." He whispered in my ear when he pulled me close. He took in a deep breath and I felt his fangs graze my neck. In that instant, I caught a rare glimpse into Eric's mind, it was very faint, but it was intensified by our Bond and our proximity. _…mine…_

I realized immediately that he was letting every vampire in the room know that I was claimed, so I indulged him. I exposed my neck to him. Thank God, he didn't bite me in public. He kissed the nape of my neck and pulled back. His fangs were fully extended, and he looked worried. I felt all of the tension in the room and said,

"Let's go to your office." I was no longer in the funky mood that George Benson's music put me in; I was worried. Something was going on.

Eric nodded and pulled me in front of him, gesturing with a wide arc of his arm that I lead the way. When I heard him hiss behind me I chose not to turn around, only to keep going. By the time Eric closed his office door behind us, the feelings of longing and anxiety had been replaced by possessiveness and anger. When I turned to face him, his face had changed. I reached out to touch his cheek, but he whipped his head away, growling. For the first time since Dallas I was afraid of Eric. But I could feel the fight within him. I didn't know what to do and I didn't know what was going wrong.

"Eric," I half whispered, half moaned, "what is it?" His face had been parallel to the ceiling until I spoke. Now it snapped in my direction, and I saw his eyes. They were dilated, just as they are when he drinks from me.

I stepped back, but it was too late. He pounced and had me on my back with his hands restraining my arms and his knees between my legs in half a second. I breathed heavily now, which seemed to excite him more.

"Eric!" I screamed. "It's me! It's Sookie! Don't do this!" He roared with his fangs fully extended, terrifying me to my core. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks, and I began to sob.

"Eric, Eric, Eric." I gasped out. He went rigid and stopped moving completely. I couldn't feel anything from the Bond so I didn't know how to react.

"Eric, I love you_, please don't do this_." When he didn't move, I slipped my arms from his soft grasp and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him to me. If I was going to be drained I was comforted by the fact that it was going to be Eric and not a total stranger. I closed my eyes and tensed in anticipation of his fangs.

But they never came. Instead, a still rigid Eric collapsed on me. After what seemed like hours he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me up with him into a sitting position and laid me in his lap. He buried his face in my neck, and with that contact I could feel our bond again and with that a surge of intense shame.

"Are you alright?" I asked in a husky whisper. He looked up then, and his eyes were rimmed with pink.

"Don't be so selfless my Love, you nearly died." You think?!

**Sorry it took me so long to update! I hope this longer-than-usual chapter makes up for that!**

**But I don't know if it really will… Considering that I left you with a cliffie. Haha!**

**Please review!**

**~ChristiAnthemum**


End file.
